Dubuque Regional Airport (IATA: DBQ, ICAO: KDBQ, FAALID: DBQ) is eight miles southwest of Dubuque, a city in Dubuque County, Iowa.[1] Situated along U.S. Highway 61, the airport is owned by the city of Dubuque, and is operated as a department of the city government. The city council appoints people for four-year terms to the Airport Commission board, which oversees the airport. For day-to-day operations, the Commission hires an airport manager. DBQ is used for general aviation and sees one airline. A charter service which is run by Chartaire, Inc.[2] The airport offers maintenance and refueling services, including services for jets.

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Northwest Airlines announced on February 7, 2008 that its regional partner Mesaba Airlines operating as Northwest Airlink will once again return with service to Dubuque with twice daily flights to and from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport using Saab 340 aircraft. These flights began on June 20, 2008.[7][8] On July 2, 2009, the merged Delta/Northwest Airlines announced it would discontinue all service to Dubuque citing weakened demand throughout its system. This left DBQ with only one airline providing commercial service.[9]

In the year ending September 30, 2011 the airport had 48,417 aircraft operations, an average of 132 per day: 93% general aviation, 7% air taxi, <1% military, and <1% airline. 74 aircraft were then based at this airport: 82% single-engine, 15% multi-engine, and 3% jet.[1]

The University of Dubuque has a flight operations center at the airport. This operations center provides for pilot training in the school's aviation programs. This includes both ground school and actual flight training. The University has two hangars with exclusively their aircraft and a third hangar that is shared.

The terminal features free WI-FI internet access. The airport also recently installed enclosed walkways at the gates, allowing passengers to walk to and from the planes without having to go outdoors. The terminal has a small cafe (FlyDBQ Cafe), ATM, vending, and gaming machines. The terminal has three gates for airline passengers and a jet bridge. The terminal also has a baggage carousel, desks for three airlines and rental car services including Avis and Hertz.

The airport has been recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration a number of times for its strong commitment to safety. It won the FAA's "Airport Safety Enhancement Award" in 1994, 1997, 2000, and 2003.[10] In order to receive this honor, an airport must be free from discrepancies during an inspection for three consecutive years. In 2008, the Dubuque Regional Airport marked 18 consecutive years of perfect safety inspections in accordance with FAR Part 139. That record is unmatched among the approximately 600 certified U.S. airports.[11]

On March 8, 2004, Cessna 172R N105FS stalled after ice accumulated on the wings, causing a hard impact on landing. Three minor injuries were reported.[14]

On April 3, 2011, AmericanConnection flight 5019 bound to O'Hare International Airport sustained substantial damage after the jet bridge was blown into the side of the plane. Winds were gusting to 27 kts, and the emergency brakes in the jet bridge failed to activate. There were no injuries reported, and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.[15]

On October 13, 2014, Piper PA-46 N9126V crashed on approach to the airport. As of October 18, 2014, it is unclear why the plane crashed, though low visibility was reported at the time. One fatality occurred.[16]

In order to update aging facilities and accommodate continued growth, the City of Dubuque announced in 2007 that it intends to build a new, larger airport terminal building in the coming years.[17] The new $23 million facility is a part of the airport's master improvement plan, however, no timeline has been given for the completion of the building.

The city has also expressed an interest in courting additional airlines to serve the airport. Up until recently, Dubuque Regional had up to three air carriers. Two were eliminated when the airline industry met hard financial times following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. However, with strong passenger numbers, a growing tourism industry, and financial stability among air carriers, expanded service seems increasingly likely in Dubuque.